Understanding Virtual Reality in the Classroom and Its Potential Impact to Alamogordo Public Schools

In Alamogordo, within the public comments at school board meetings and via social media, there has been much of discussion of recent, about a large contract that was awarded to a partner of Arizona State University called Dreamscape Learning as a Virtual Learning Lab.

The local debate has been rather there are more economically affordable alternatives and questions in how much due diligence took place in researching the product offering. 

Finally, there appears to be controversy over how the contract was awarded.

AlamogordoTownNews.com and Krazy KALH streaming radio is researching VR technology in the classroom environment. We will be running a series of articles around VR technology and its applications in the classroom settings. Why it's important. 

During the upcoming weeks we will be running a series of articles on VR learning, its benefits, highlighting various providers, recognized as leading the field, and why VR technology is important to the 21st Century Classroom.

Our series is not to get involved in the recent political dramas, but to serve as information to our readers and listeners concerning VR educational platforms and why this purchase is so important to the future of APS student education and outcomes.

We have reached out to experts in Silicon Valley, UC Berkeley, MIT, as well as Dreamscape Learning and locally to Michelle Perry as a local expert on the topic.

From our various conversations, research and readings, we will be providing a series of informative articles explaining VR learning and why it is critical not only to the blueprint created for Holloman Middle School, but for the Alamogordo Public Schools to achieve long term success across its multiple grades and for a diverse mix of students. 

Outcomes and results are the key ingredient to success. 

For any program, an emphasis on experience and student outcomes is one of the main considerations for any learning application that should be the priority in consideration. 

With the help of virtual reality (VR), educators can add engaging virtual reality experiences to their classroom, whisking students away to faraway places without ever leaving their desk. Students can travel all the way to the oceans below, space, dissect a frog, visit with a dinosaur or and beyond.

The power of VR learning lies in providing users or students and educators the chance to do something hands-on that might not be possible in the real or the remote world. That means students studying climate change can virtually dive a coral reef to see the effects of ocean acidification up close; to see bleaching and the impacts on Sea Life.

The first time one enters a virtual space the experience is awe-inspiring and sometimes a bit disorientating to some.  

My first observation of VR learning was at New Tech High School in Napa, California as a community activist, as it was being introduced to this new speciality school. Steve Case the founder of AOL, was a Napa resident and one of the forces behind creating a high school that specialized in technology to prepare youth for the 21st Century. VR learning was embraced and is a key component to multiple disciplines taught in that school and others.

I've witnessed excitement in students of all ages experiencing the thrill of conducting missions in space and feeling the effects of zero gravity or diving in the oceans and seeing a natural reef. But while these can be powerful, emotional experiences for students, they also have real educational benefits, instilling an increased sense of competence, engagement, motivation and adventure.

The advent of highly immersive virtual reality technology can be traced back to the 1960's in the entertainment industry with Morton Heiling's single user console called Sensorama, designed to captivate audience attention. In the 1980's, a dramatic surge of interest in using virtual reality technology beyond the entertainment industry was seen in the field of professional education and training. Particularly, virtual reality technologies frequently were used for flight simulator training and exercises. 

The United State Military is deeply embedded in virtual learning for most pilot programs and drone programs as well as battlefield simulations and has been for years. Thus, why the leadership of Holloman is all in on a state-of-the-art virtual learning facility as a part of Holloman Middle Schools curriculum. 

The introduction of virtual reality technology in K-12 and higher education began in the early 1990's with projects such as Science Space, Safety World, Global Change, Virtual Gorilla Exhibit, Atom World, and Cell Biology.

In decades past, one of the many reasons why virtual reality technology was beyond the reach of most public schools was financial feasibility. The cost of both procurement and maintenance of various sophisticated devices to create an immersive environment made mass use of this technology prohibitive.

Beginning around 2012 many educators integrated a variety of desktop-based virtual reality technologies into their instruction. For example, educators have used a very popular virtual world called Second Life®, to create replicas of real-life places wherein users, who are digitally represented in form of avatars, actively engage in realistic activities that stimulate learning. In addition, educators have used Second Life's affordances to build 3-D objects to teach abstract concepts.

Simulations are interactive digital learning environments that imitate a real-life process or situation. Simulations allow learners to test their hypotheses of the effects of input variables on the intended outcomes. VR as a learning tool was initially adopted for workplace training scenarios, most notably for flight simulators. With advancements in graphics, spatial audio, animation, and greater accessibility due to lowering entry costs, VR is now being used for a wider variety of use cases, including education. Today, VR can help students engage more deeply with lesson content, practice real-life STEAM skills, and better retain information. In addition, using high-performing PCs with VR can offer an even more immersive learning experience with clear graphics and smooth animation.

VR learning helps with diversity and levelling educational opportunities regardless of economic status. With access limited only by the availability of VR-based content, students of all backgrounds and socioeconomic status can engage in experiences that might otherwise be unavailable to them due to boundaries. Students can take field trips to museums and visit countries on the other side of the world without ever leaving their classroom or incurring the cost of travel. Virtual environments can support a range of learning styles and the needs of students with learning challenges. And students with physical limitations can participate in experiences that may not be possible for them in the real world.

When students learn through hands-on activities, they are more likely to retain information. In VR-based learning, students are immersed in three-dimensional virtual environments where they are able to perform and act in targeted, realistic situations. The use of immersive VR-based lessons has been shown to promote improvements in comprehension, cognition, and overall fact retention across a range of subjects and activities, no matter the complexity.

In decades past, students would get excited with the commodore computer, or some may even remember the computer referred to as "PET." 

 If the Alamogordo Board of Education moves forward with the needs of 21st Century Students then students may have access to a VR experience with lessons unlike ever before. 

By fuelling curiosity and embracing active learning through innovative technologies, VR could measurably change the landscape of education in Otero County and be a game changer to learning in New Mexico public schools.

In our next column we will compare a few different programs with outcomes that are in the market. And a future column will have thoughts from recent dialogue in Otero County with Michelle Perry and others. Stay tuned...

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